Children's Party: Party food

It's really nice to try and theme food. This may sound tough, but actually it's often just a case of buying a jar of food colouring and adding it to your mixture or icing.

Our top tips for party food

Keep it small: We don't mean the amount of food you do, but the size. Bite-sized is best, so things like mini sausages or cupcakes work well.

Box it up: By all means put things out on a table and give them paper plates, but consider using 'happy meal'-style boxes filled with a selection of food. Be prepared for kids wanting to swap their contents though!

Check the partygoers' dietary requirements: Not knowing that someone has a food allergy or is vegetarian could be embarrassing.

Don't be too clever: Most kids like simple, easy food they recognise and a children's party is not the place to experiment.

Don't cook too much: The more there is, the more likely things will be left over. Again, keep it simple.

Savoury ideas

Sandwiches: Stick to well-known fillings like cheese and ham and make them a little more interesting by cutting them up. You can get hold of cutters very easily from kitchen shops or department stores that can tie in with your theme. If you don't want to go that far, simply cut them into triangles.

Nibbles: Mini sausage rolls and scotch eggs do go down well. Beware, though, you may end up eating them yourself, or throwing them away.

Pizza: Nearly always a winner. Don't be too adventurous with the toppings if the kids are young. Cheese, tomato, mushroom, ham and that's about it. Cut them into easy to handle fingers or small triangles.

Mini vegetables and dips: Cut up red and yellow peppers, carrots and cucumber into sticks and team them with houmous or a dip. A great way to get kids to eat something healthy.

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Crisps: Go for plain or salt and vinegar. Individual packs work fine, but you could try a large bowl, it means kids who don't like crisps (yes, there are some) don't feel left out.

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